Custom Skis vs Mass-Produced Skis

Tis the season when gear guides are coming out.

They are full of rave reviews of mass-market skis and what they can help you achieve—improved technique, better endurance, and attracting members of the opposite or same sex, whichever you prefer. The truth is there are a lot of good skis out there, wrapped in cellophane and priced competitively on the ski shop rack. With all these offerings, you might be wondering why you should invest in full custom skis. 

We tailor everything in your Wagner Custom Skis, including graphics.

Consider this: The ultimate goal of mainstream ski companies is to produce skis that are good enough to serve the highest number of people while maintaining as much of a sales margin as possible. They’re not making skis specifically for you, and they’re not using the highest quality materials on the market. They make six or eight prototypes a year—we at Wagner make those in a single day. 

Wagner is the only company that custom designs and builds 100% of the ski just for you. We tailor everything: the length, width, sidecut, tip and tail shape, camber, rocker, flex pattern, stiffness, graphics, and more than 1,000 combinations of materials to your body mechanics, terrain preference, ability level, and style to create your perfect ski. 

How are Wagners better? Let us count the ways.

Quality

Wagner Custom Skis uses top-of-the-line materials in every ski, which increases durability and makes the ski perform better in every condition and for every ability level. It’s kind of like the difference between a well-built luxury vehicle and a crappy rental car—you don’t need to be a race car driver to feel that the former drives better than the latter.

Wagner skis can make skiing more fun.

Every ski Wagner makes also boasts a classic sandwich construction with a wood core and vertical sidewall, which is the best—and most expensive—way to build a ski. Wood is the finest ski-building material on the planet because it provides excellent rebound, dampens vibration, has a lively feel, keeps its shape well, and is extremely durable. Wood-core skis tend to feel more stable, too, and are less likely to degrade over time. 

Craftsmanship 

The factory matters. Some bigger brands proudly fly a national flag, but most outsource lower-end skis to lower-cost factories to make the numbers work. They simply don’t have the budgets to invest in quality control across the board. At Wagner, on the other hand, we make every single pair by hand in our factory in Telluride.

Every aspect of ski construction affects its performance. Temperature, pressing time, and material handling all influence how the final product behaves on snow. Mass production facilities rush skis through assembly to meet quotas, while our single-batch approach means every pair of skis receives meticulous attention.

A pair of skis gets prepped to go in the press.

We oversee every single aspect of the process, and we have our hands directly on your skis from start to finish. We pride ourselves on craftsmanship and attention to detail you just don’t get with mainstream brands, with each ski taking roughly 10 hours per pair of labor. “Love and passion go into the skis we build for people, and I think people can feel that,” says founder Pete Wagner.

The result? Skis that perform exactly as designed, with consistent flex patterns, proper torsional rigidity, and durability that lasts season after season. That's the Wagner factory difference.

Versatility

Skis built for groomers but can handle some powder? Yes. 

Because the materials and craftsmanship are so high quality, Wagner Custom Skis are more versatile to all conditions than its mass-produced brethren. They’re also made by skiers, who understand the importance of having a ski that can tackle all terrain and snow conditions. We can’t control the weather, but we sure can control the way the ski performs in whatever comes its way. Even if you order a custom ski built for groomers, it will be capable in bumps, boot-top fluff, ice, trees, and anything in between.

Comfort

Skis built for you—and only you—mean less strain on knees, ankles, hips, and knees. Because it’s not built for the common denominator, each design element works in your favor. We take into account your skiing style, terrain preference, ability level, and individual goals and create a ski that’s perfect for you—ultimately making skiing easier and more fun, which, last we checked, is the point of this sport. “On the flex pattern alone, if you get that right, that makes a huge difference,” Wagner says. “It gives you better balance, comfort, control, and the skis will work better in more situations. It makes everything easier.”

Longevity

Our materials are superior, therefore they last longer. Sure, Wagners might be more expensive than the off-the-rack variety, but because you won’t need to replace them every few seasons, they end up ultimately saving you money. We also guarantee every pair we make, so if they’re not perfect, we’ll remake them until they are.

Skis with a bigger "sweet spot" can help on your learning journey.

If you’re on the learning curve (who isn’t), our skis grow with you, meaning that you won’t need to upgrade once you improve. “The benefits people feel from getting a proper-fitting pair of skis are that skis will have a bigger sweet spot, work better in broader snow types and terrain conditions, and are smooth and stable enough to perform at low and high levels,” Wagner says.

Guarantee

We also guarantee every ski we make, so if you’re not 100% happy, we’ll make it right. You definitely can’t get that from a mainstream ski brand.

Wagner Custom skis, in essence, make skiing easier and more fun, and they last longer, too. That’s why founder Pete Wagner created this business—he bought a pair of skis that were all wrong for him, and realized there must be a better way. Now he’s bringing it to you, one pair of beautiful, handcrafted, custom skis at a time. Schedule a call with one of our ski designers today, and let them walk you through getting your perfect pair!

Back to JOURNAL